Chapter 10 - Paragons of Paradigm and Paradox (2)

The words that echoed throughout the world carried such power that most could not even fathom. The Clans who thought themselves wielders of undeniable might second only to the House of Grace finally understood just how inconsequential their little tricks were. In the face of this absolute authority, they were like children playing with candlelight. And indeed, that was what they were to Grace, mere children who knew nothing of the glories and dangers of their history. No amount of prophecies and fairytales could prepare them when what they thought to be mere fantasies and folklore walked among them. These voices did not only carry pure power, it brought some fragments of the knowledge denied to them by the destruction of their System of Existence.

Now they see what the House of Grace was; who the man named Sylvain Grace was. The Revelators of Truth, how more apt could this title of deference be to refer to the church and lineage created by a true god—the god who spared them from Inexistence. And yet, the surprises for the people of Earth did not yet end. Everywhere there was a member of the House of Grace, the people would witness a jarring scene. The astels rushing back at the call of the Pillar of Grace all suddenly and simultaneously knelt to the ground the moment they heard the voices of their god. The people of Earth may feel the emotions within those words, but the House of Grace carried his blood, his hopes and dreams.

They knew more than just the emotions behind them. They knew of the pain and suffering that their lord had chosen to inflict upon himself once more. And they wept the gold of their stellar blood that shimmered with the brilliance of Grace. Their feathered wings made of starfire sprouted from their backs as they no longer bothered to hide. The world will know of the House of Grace and of the depths of sacrifice that they were willing to endure with their creator. They all rushed back home at even greater speeds and the world watched as hundreds of angels bathed in golden flames streaked through the dark skies. For the first time, Earth learned of the brightness of the sun.

The delegates from the Long and Morrigan Clans were utterly confused by the sudden change in their surroundings. One moment, they were being led by Xiu Mei and Svetlana down the beautiful halls of the mansion. And in the next, they witnessed all the servants and residents of the estate flocking toward one direction, their faces trickling with golden blood. What was even more confusing was that it was not just them. Even Xiu Mei and Svetlana stood frozen for an instant when they heard the voices of Grace chanting. And then they too wept in golden blood as they left the delegates and rushed toward the Council Hall. With nothing else to do, the delegates chose to follow after them. And that was when they witnessed something that would mark them for life.

The members of the House of Grace entered the Council Hall. The space was enough to fit hundreds of them easily, especially with Ciel and the Aletheian Engine controlling the Space within it. They flooded into it, surrounding the encirclement of thrones as they all knelt down in worship. They found the thrones that had always been empty now completely filled, not a single one was vacant. Upon each of them were illusory forms of each of the Pillars of Grace recorded in the history of the House of Grace, even those who existed before the creation of the astels. These were their gods, an entire pantheon composed of a singular existence with different faces. At the centre was the current Pillar of Grace chanting the very same Incantation of the Wings that culminated the powers of all incarnations. The House of Grace had heard it at least once before as a sort of baptism, but the words carried power that could not be contained in their mind for long thus making them forget.

Their golden tears were only the first as they soon manifested their golden wings and began plucking out their feathers one by one. Those who did not have a full Astel bloodline like Svetlana and Xiu Mei instead clawed at their skin, flaying themselves in tribute and worship. Or at least, the two girls tried. They were immediately stopped from even kneeling by a power they could not deny. A little girl of about ten years old appeared before them to pacify them.

[Mothers and Grandmother, please do not kneel or injure yourselves. Father will be furious and saddened if you do.]

Xiu Mei, Svetlana and Sylvia looked at the girl in surprise. Despite never having seen her before, they recognised her in an instant. Such knowledge was engraved upon their very bloodline. No member of the House of Grace will not recognise the royal family. She was Ciel Grace, the firstborn child of Grace. She was born from the awakening of the Wing of Reason of Caelum Grace through the authority of one of the most powerful Divine Constructs to ever exist—the Imaginary Tree. She had been an indispensable support to her father throughout her existence, gaining divinity to become the Goddess of Reason and later assimilating the broken spark of another divine being to become the new Emanator of Clarity. There was no doubt that she was the one with the most authority in the House of Grace right after the Pillar of Grace. She was the beloved Princess of their King.

Hearing Ciel refer to them as 'Mothers' felt strange to Xiu Mei and Svetlana. Despite them being much younger and weaker than her, they could feel the respect in her voice. It was only natural for them to feel intimidated, after all they had no achievements and accomplishments to speak of. Even just being treated as the Mistresses of the House of Grace was already too much for them, taking them a long time to get used to. But Sylvia understood why Ciel was acting this way.

The Pillar of Grace is a being who wields Fate, Destiny and Karma. If he chooses someone to be his partner, that could only mean that they were special, more so than anyone else in Existence. It may not be at present, but it will surely become apparent at some point. That has been the case for his wives, sisters and children in every cycle. They have all become divine beings having grasped their own powers through the trials they faced. So truly, Xiu Mei and Svetlana were queens who must not bend their knees nor harm their bodies even if it was for the King, especially not when he was conducting the Immolation to prevent further sacrifice of his family.

The delegates who followed the House of Grace into the Council Hall were utterly frozen. They did not know whether what they were seeing was reality or a dream. At the centre of the large hall was like a blazing inferno, but it did not spread its heat. The weeping members of the House of Grace continued to harm themselves, offering their blood and flesh to their god, but they were not weakening or dying. Instead, every bit of injury they inflicted upon themselves were instantly coated with scarlet and black embers that healed them completely. Their sacrifice, devotion and will to aid their King had allowed the Wing of Immolation to spread its authority to them as well. But to the delegates, everything they were seeing was just madness.

They could not hear the song as it only spread in the recorded Existence within the Aletheian Engine. But soon, the House of Grace was enveloped in a deep and ancient aura of souls. The sonorous tune began playing within the Council Hall, its root being the members of the House of Grace who were sharing in the burden of sacrifice of their King. But it did not spread out into the world. Ciel controlled the spread so as not to cause further panic to Earth or worse, potentially attract the attention of foreign existences who have sharp senses. She also prevented the delegates from falling under the influence of the song as they would not be of much help due to the lacking purity of their blood and the lacking sincerity of their sacrifice. They who had known no suffering would not be able to even glimpse at the depths of devotion that the House of Grace offered to their god. But soon, even that would not matter as their very beings would be shaken whole.

The voices chanting the Incantation of the Wings began to change. They no longer spoke one tongue, but three. They were scripts of power that originated from themselves, tied to their very existence. The first was the Primeval Enochian Runes created by one of the earliest incarnations of Grace, Enoch. The second was the Ancient Astel Runes created by the same incarnation who created the House of Grace and the Astel race, Kain. And the third was the Existential Aletheian Runes born from all the Truths of the destroyed System of Existence given form and new life by the creator of the Aletheian Engine, Halcyon.